ocurranvsocurríaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ocurran” and “ocurría” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#21,421
“ocurran” frequency rank
#13,302
“ocurría” frequency rank
34723
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ocurran ocurría
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de ocurrir. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocurrir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ocurran and ocurría apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ocurran
7 ch
ocurría

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ocurran ([oˈkurãn]) and ocurría ([okuˈria]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ocurran is recorded at frequency rank #21,421, classified as averb, pronounced [oˈkurãn]. ocurría is at rank #13,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈria].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 34723, this pair ranks #189,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ocurran vs ocurría

Shared letters: acoru. Private to "ocurran": n. Private to "ocurría": í.

"ocurran" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "ocurría" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ocurrancourran · occurran · ocruran · ocuran · ocurarn · ocurrann · ocurrna · oucrran

Frequency comparison

ocurran#21,421
ocurría#13,302

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ocurran" and "ocurría" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oˈkurãn] versus [okuˈria]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ocurran" or "ocurría"?
"ocurría" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,302 in our Spanish list, against #21,421 for "ocurran". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ocurran vs ocurría

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ocurran” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list